Crystal Fragments
by Niner Deamon
Summary: 50 sentence challenge about Light and Fang. From moments in time, to character introspections, to the evolution of their relationship. Just a bit of fun and to look at things from another angle.


**Disclaimer: While I have some experience with CGI****,**** I am not now nor have I ever been associated with Square Soft. As such I don't own Final Fantasy in any way shape or form.**

**Authors notes: This is something I've occasionally been working on when I'm bored and there isn't anything new posted by actual motivated fanfiction authors. Seeing as I actually finished it I figured "why not?" Now that I have posted something I won't feel as guilty about avidly reading and waiting for new posts without making any contribution at all.**

**If you see anything that reminds you of another story, rest assured it is not a deliberate reference on my part. That being said anyone who wants to use any of the ideas in this challenge can feel free. I always thought that these sorts of challenges where a way of getting new ideas out there, plus I'd feel hypocritical if I started claiming copyright of fanfiction.**

**I've tried to only reference the challenge word obliquely where I can and have also taken great delight in taking some stereotypes that have appeared about these two and turning them on their head.**

**Yes I know it's only supposed to be a sentence not a paragraph. Sue me.**

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**#01 - Comfort**

Why they follow her leadership -when they know she has no more idea what to do then they, and the fate of the last to place their life in her hands- she cannot fathom, but the responsibility lies heavy on shoulders already weighed down by guilt. A brush against her arm draws her attention to the jade eyed huntress seated beside her in the firelight and her muscles loosen, eased by the presence of one who though can't carry the burden, can at least ease the load.

**#02 - Kiss**

Fangs clutches her scared brand, fingers digging harshly into the flesh of her arm. She flinches when a gloved hand covers her own and coaxes it away but relaxes when a blonde head bends down to caress soft lips over the marred skin.

**#03 - Soft**

"You've got a real soft spot for the young and helpless don't you?" Light jolts then flushes at being caught by the brunet with the cocobolo chick in hand; thumb stroking its breast feathers.

**#04 - Pain (loosely related to #31)**

Fang listens in silence as Vanille elaborates on Oerba's community living to the Cocoon-born l'Cie, the younger pulsian makes it sound very positive and upbeat, perhaps it was for those that actually fit, but for Fang - always too energetic, too brash, too stubbornly independent, always living on the outskirts - there was a flip side to the equation. Where your entire community was an extension of your family if you didn't feel like you really belonged with one you where automatically an outcast of the other, and Vanille had been the only other Oerban who she felt any real connection with. While she hadn't been treated poorly by any means, that distance could still be felt and still hurt.

**#05 - Potatoes**

"You won't eat the potatoes for fear the vegetapuddings will come seeking vengeance? _Seriously _Fang?"

**#06 - Rain**

Fang has always loved the tang of ozone and the crisp, clear smell of rain just on the horizon of Gran Pulse, so when she finds herself on Cocoon where nothing is natural and the scents are all wrong, she is intrigued by the ex-soldier who brings with her the smell of summer storms.

**#07 - Chocolate**

"You expect me to eat this?" Fang looks dubiously at the brown bar in her hands they had scavenged from one of the soldiers. Light merely takes a bite of her own and raises her eyebrow in challenge, secretly amused at how the skeptical Oerbans eyes light up at the first tentative bite.

**#08 - Happiness**

They've set up camp in one of the caves set into the eastern cliffs of the steppe. While the rest of the party are content to bed down and relax, the hunter can tell she's not the only one disappointed with wasting daylight by the way their leader hovers near the entrance. Quickly moving to her side she observes quietly, "there's a great hunting spot nearby..." grinning when the usually straight laced soldier looks at her in interest, the grin widening when Light turns and informs the others that the two are going scouting. Gotta love a girl who shares your definition of fun.

**#09 - Telephone**

Lightning fumbles to answer her comm as the soldiers around her try to smother their amusement, its ringtone having apparently been changed to some teen pop-star canned music without her notice, silently vowing to maim Fang at the next opportunity.

**#10 - Ears**

"No," Light denies while studiously avoiding looking at Fang, for such a formidable warrior she's disturbingly good at the kicked puppy look, Light can almost see her ears drooped piteously.

**#11 - Name**

She's tearing into the PSICOM troops, clearing a path and drawing attention away from the young boy she has left in the care of The Idiot, when suddenly there is a tan, blue and black form next to her and she's falling into step with the women she recognises came with Snow. They dance around each other's strikes like they've been doing it all their lives and when the last enemy falls the wild women throws a jaunty salute with her spear, "It's Fang".

**#12 - Sensual**

She knows she should be concentrating on the fight; however she can't help but notice how flexible the pink haired soldier is to pull off some of those moves.

**#13 - Death (related to #21)**

Fang turns anguished eyes up to the vampire that had just knocked aside the Blazefire Saber, petrified extensions no longer able to grip the weapon it's-_'her'- _former form wielded so effortlessly, and makes no effort to defend herself from its attack.

**#14 - Sex**

The sergeant sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, normally she enjoys the chance to gather her thoughts that patrol offers but this time a persistently curious tribeswoman had decided to tag along; nagging, joking and cajoling in an attempt to get an answer out of her. Unfortunately her usual tactic of silent glaring to dissuade such personal inquiries has proven to be utterly ineffectual against the headstrong pulsian. Perhaps humoring her will shut her up, for a while at least... "While I don't see how it's any of your business, yes I have."

**#15 - Touch**

The others believe Fang invades the soldier's personal space out of a perverse glee she gets from irritating the blond or perhaps hidden masochistic tendencies. This might have been the case had she not felt the braced muscles and almost flinch the soldier gave the first time she touched her. It was impossible for Fang to turn away after that, no one should be so unfamiliar with simple human contact.

**#16 - Weakness**

"Stop whining and hold still. If you'd just learn some medical magic you could do this yourself Fang."

**#17 - Tears**

The tribeswoman blinks the burning from her eyes even as she presses harder on the wounded ex-soldiers side, trying to stem the blood running through her fingers.

**#18 - Speed**

Fang had known from the start that Lightning was faster than her, but it's only when the swordswoman sweeps in with a staggering chain of attacks, blurring from one movement to the next, that she realizes that the blonde truly lives up to her namesake.

**#19 - Wind**

Watching the red cloth flutter in the breeze the irreverent pulsian tried with all her might to restrain herself, "I gotta ask Light. What's with the cape?" When it came to restraint the tribeswoman's might wasn't much.

**#20 - Freedom**

Flying over the fierce beauty of her homeland for the first time in 500 years, Fang struggles to squash the aching desire that claws at her chest; to once more roam the wilds unbidden; to hunt the steppes; to revisit old haunts; to search, explore and discover the magnificence and mysteries of this unbridled land (because there'll always more than can ever be experienced in even a fal'Cies lifetime). So she looks back to her new family in hopes of strengthening her resolve, it doesn't work as well as she'd hoped but she is gratified to see the same longing in the soldiers eyes.

**#21 - Life (related to #13)**

"Sure, we've all had better weeks," the huntress' heart shudders in her chest before picking up a pounding rhythm in her ears at the familiar husky voice, but it's not until her hand closes around the solid shaft of her weapon and she feels the resistance the fighters grip causes, that the choking weight lifts from her chest and she can breathe again.

**#22 - Jealousy**

The former soldier is asleep seated against a boulder with her weapon in rifle configuration, its barrel supported by her right shoulder and arm curled around it. It's only a sharp crackle from the fire that snaps Fang out of her trance to realise she's been glaring at the gunblade, for she doesn't know how long.

**#23 - Hands**

Lightning wasn't very demonstrative by nature, what amazed Fang was how much she managed to convey with just the brush of the back of a hand against her own.

**#24 - Taste**

"Hmmm," Fang licked her lips as she watched Light stride away, trying to describe the taste she had stolen from her flustered leader.

**#25 - Devotion**

Neither is the type to love or trust quickly, when they give their loyalty they do so with their whole being so neither feels the caution is unwarranted.

**#26 - Forever**

Lightning has no doubt that Fang will return from crystal status, forever is a long time after all and the lancer has never proven to be particularly patient.

**#27 - Blood**

"How many?" Light pauses in tending her gunblade at the abrupt question, turning eyes to its source she's about to ask for clarification when something about the way the lancer is studying her own hands gives her pause. Comprehension comes quickly but instead of answering the sergeant returns to her work, the truth is haunting but there is no kindness in a lie, especially for one who has already been told too many.

**#28 - Sickness**

It's only when the adrenalin of the battle wears off that Light succumbs to the aching weakness that has been clawing at her since she awoke, she doesn't feel it as she starts to fall, nor when she is caught in tanned arms and carried back to camp, head tucked against a sari clad shoulder.

**#29 - Melody**

It's only the musical chimes of the lift returning that alerts the two of the return of the rest of the party in time to untangle themselves.

**#30 - Star**

Lightning starts awake at the first light touch at her shoulder, quickly scanning the camp for trouble and finding none; she turns to the brunette in question. With an affectionate smile the hunter gestures upwards at the stars streaking across the night sky.

**#31 - Home**

The huntress wanders the village, recognising buildings made unfamiliar from centuries of neglect and crystal dust, it's only when a quiet tread and companionable silence joins her, and she looks ahead to the rest of her companions, that this place starts to feel like home.

**#32 - Confusion**

Snow's learnt to be out of swords reach of Lightning when he opens his mouth. As quick as her temper is, its just as quickly reined in, so by the time she's closed that distance she's usually decided that whatever stupidity he just spouted wasn't worth the effort. As such he's bewildered to find himself cuffed over the back of the head after his latest boast, especially since Light hadn't moved merely flicked her eyes to the side. Following her gaze he found Fang behind him, smirk firmly in place, one hand on an out-thrust hip.

**#33 - Fear**

"Light, can we talk?"

**#34 - Lightning/Thunder**

With a deafening roar the cave gives in to the ruinga spell launched at its supports by the l'Cie leader and collapses, a wall of rubble now blocking the pursuing Cieth and - Fang realises with mounting horror - trapping Lightning with them.

**#35 - Bonds**

"We're cuffed hand and foot, in a prison cell, heading for execution, what about this scenario is sexy to you Fang?"

**#36 - Market**

The two fighters can only share commiserating glances as they are dragged by their respective younger sisters from stall to stall.

**#37 - Technology**

Light really should have known better than to mention the function of her gloves within the dark haired Oerbans hearing range. How she even got the gloves was a mystery, but what mattered right now was getting them back before the curious women dismantled them.

**#38 - Gift**

"A small problem," the tribeswomen repeated flatly while gazing up at the second skytank, "has anyone ever mentioned you have a real gift for understatement Sunshine?"

**#39 - Smile**

While everyone else's attention was focused on Hope after the boy conquered his Eidolon, Fang could not break her gaze from Light, enchanted by the small smile that graced her lips as she regarded her protégé with pride.

**#40 - Innocence**

From what Lightning knew about Fangs past; being something of an outsider in Oerba; the War; protecting Vanille; then becoming a l'Cie with all the complications that came with it, she really shouldn't have been as surprised as she was to find the huntress still inexperienced in some respects, despite her flirting.

**#41 - Completion**

Vanille never understood why the elder hunters of Oerba would shake their heads in shame or pity when they saw Fang hunt, whether she be taking down a behemoth solo or challenging an oretoise with a party - her movements slightly stilted in keeping with the less skilled fighters around her. When asked the reply given, "she's the last of the Yun and there's a reason their clan animal was the gorgonopsid," just confused her further. It's only during the fight with Barthandulus on board the Palamecia that Vanille begins to understand. Watching Fang throw herself into battle without reserve, the pink haired soldier beside her, the fierce light in her eyes that she's never seen before as they synchronise their attacks without a word. To finally see the last of the Yun fight alongside an equal -_pack_- is breathtaking.

**#42 - Clouds**

On the hull of the Palamecia Fang shakes her head in reluctant admiration as Light's acrobatic fighting style doesn't change at all, she seems completely oblivious to the limited and unstable footing with her flips and twists - of the perilous drop through the clouds she would be taking with one false step.

**#43 - Sky**

_'Ironic'_, Fang thinks as she watches Light leap into open air without hesitation,_ 'that someone with both feet so firmly nailed to the ground as that one can be so comfortable in freefall'._

**#44 - Heaven**

Curled against a warm body with an accented voice lulling her to sleep, Light reflected, could become addictive.

**#45 - Hell**

Fang groaned as she stood guard over the small spring where Light was bathing, fighting to keep both her eyes and mind from wandering.

**#46 - Sun**

Fang curses the sun virulently in three languages as its rays hit her eyelids and drag her into the waking world, careful to avoid Lightning's gaze until she can be sure the dream - that had been so mercilessly interrupted - isn't written in her eyes.

**#47 - Moon**

That first night on Gran Pulse Fang found Light in the clearing below camp, eyes fixed skyward. Walking up behind her and following the gaze she chuckled before purring in her ear, "That's right. You don't have a moon in that nest do you?"

**#48 - Waves**

In the precious few moments between when the last Pinochu falls and the horde is regenerated the ex-soldier struggles to summon a cure spell and glances to the equally weary huntress standing sentinel on the other side of the cheerful saboteur, panting out "we're letting her gamble on Death and not taking it out ourselves, why again?"

**#49 - Hair**

Fang purred and nuzzled further into Lights lap as the former soldier ran gentle fingers through her dark mane and scratched lightly at her scalp.

**#50 - Supernova**

The huntress' gaze was drawn away from the fire in the sky to land on a pink haired soldier walking among the crowds on the beach, running an appreciative eye over the lithe form before shaking her head and looking back up at the colorful display. Easy on the eyes she may be but as a soldier of Cocoon she'd be nothing but trouble.

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**I'd love to hear your thoughts****,**** even if it's only which one was your favorite (or least). In any case thanks for taking the time to read.**


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